How Much is a Billion?

Our planet is 4.55 billion (4,550,000,000) years
old!

Compared with other animals, humans have long lives.
Relative to the 4.55 billion-year history of our planet, however, our 80-year
life spans pass in an instant of time. Because we tend to think in terms
of months and years, time periods that affect our daily lives, it's sometimes difficult to comprehend the immense amount of time that geologists refer to as 'geologic time'.

So, how much is a billion? The answer depends on
who you ask! Americans do not agree with the
British on names for numbers over a million! Both the American
and British naming systems are given below.

American

British

Number
Written Out

Scientific
Notation

1 Thousand

1 Thousand

1,000

103

1 Million

1 Thousand Million

1,000,000

106

1 Billion

1 Million

1,000,000,000

109

1 Trillion

1 Billion

1,000,000,000,000

1012

1 Quadrillion

1 Thousand Billion

1,000,000,000,000,000

1015

1 Quintillion

1 Trillion

1,000,000,000,000,000,000

1018

Still can't imagine numbers this big? How about this:

How long would it take to count to one (American)
billion?

Try it! Start counting one number a second without stopping until you reach a billion. You will be able to stop in 31 years, 259 days, 1 hours, 46 minutes, and 40 seconds!